Monocled Alchemist

Count & the Colony – “Can’t You See?” / “That’s The Way (It’s Got To Be)” (PA-GO-GO PAG121) December 1966

Count and the Colony | Can’t You See? | Pa-Go-Go | 2009 | 1960s garage psychedelic singles: I’ve had this ’60s garage 45 by Count and the Colony in my collection for several years and thought that I’d already reviewed it. However, a few weeks ago a group photograph surfaced on my Facebook feed which made me curious.

It transpired that the record went straight into a record box and consequently forgotten about! The group were from Bay City, MI but weren’t on the scene for very long, releasing two respectable singles on the PA-GO-GO label, operating in San Antonio, Texas.

“Can’t You See?” is full of teenage swagger with crunchy and aggressive fuzz guitar over a pounding beat. It’s a rave-up bursting with energetic raunch helped along by clattering tambourine and organ bursts.

The number was compiled years ago on ‘Teenage Shutdown’ (Jump, Jive & Harmonize) and is well worth checking out.

By contrast, the B-side “That’s The Way (It’s Got To Be)” is a slow ballad with falsetto vocals, that is until that singer decides to forget about all that and begins to talk over the beat. The lyrics are corny and the number simply doesn’t work.